Several thousand Moroccans gathered in Rabat on Sunday to denounce what they termed a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip and called for the termination of diplomatic relations with Israel, as reported by AFP journalists.
Marching through the city, protesters followed a massive banner condemning “the Holocaust in Gaza” and urging the repeal of ties with Israel. Morocco and Israel had established full relations in 2020, with the United States recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory.
Demonstrators Rally Against ‘War Crimes and Genocide’
On Sunday, participants, waving Palestinian flags and donning keffiyeh scarves, marched against what they deemed “war crimes and genocide” in Gaza. Their demands included an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. The demonstration was organized by the “National Action Group for Palestine.”
A protester, Saoussane, 41, expressed her presence “to support the Palestinian people and condemn the killing of innocent children who have nothing to do with Hamas.” She questioned the characterization of the situation as collateral damage, pointing to the staggering death toll of 17,000, asserting, “It is genocide — it is not even a war anymore.”
According to the Hamas health ministry in Gaza, 17,997 people, primarily women and children, have been killed by Israel’s relentless air strikes and ground invasion. The conflict escalated following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7 in southern Israel, resulting in around 1,200 casualties, mainly civilians, and the taking of 240 hostages. In response, Israel’s military initiated a campaign to “annihilate” Hamas.
Growing Opposition to Diplomatic Normalization
Since the war’s onset, massive demonstrations across Morocco have called for an end to the country’s diplomatic normalization with Israel. Before October 7, opposition to normalization was limited.
Halima Chouika, another demonstrator, lamented, “Gaza, under siege for 17 years, is experiencing the worst genocide.” She criticized the United Nations for its inability to take decisive actions to halt the situation, implicating the involvement of the United States and Western countries.
At the end of November, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI condemned Israel’s “flagrant violation of international law and humanitarian values” in its reprisals against Hamas. He rejected Israel’s “policy of collective punishment, forced displacement, and any attempt to impose new facts on the ground” in a message addressed to the United Nations.
